Tag: reading

Age Gaps in Fantasy

Why is age gap EVERYWHERE? I cannot open a fantasy book – even if it is a high fantasy, and the romance is the tiniest of subplots that takes up less than 1% of the book! – and not end up with an age gap. Some books have an equality between their main characters in their romance but it seems so common even in popular books especially if they are non human.

NB: Some spoilers (light or as many as you could find on a blurb) will be present in this post for Poison Study, Order of Blood and Ruin, Lightlark, Throne of Glass.

I am going to break down human age gaps first then move on to paranormal and fantasy races etc.

One of my most recent reads, Poison Study by Maria V Snyder had an age gap. A huge one, 19 and 33. I have read it a few times before when I was younger but it always is something I wince at. It just seems so odd, and exaggerates the power dynamics between them – I have written another post on Equality and Power which talks about power dymanics outside of Age Gap – when honestly it isn’t fully nessacary. Yes, Valek was supposed to help the Commander to power and that had to be early enough that Yelena was in the country and the orphanage, but I really wish something had been done to age up Yelena or nudge Valek down out of his thirties because that is a gigantic age gap.

I am not blaming this book specifically, another book I absolutely adored and read over and over (title retracted because of spoilers) has an age gap which gets worse during the series. In the beginning it is sixteen and twenty, which was pushing it a bit, but I was willling to let that go. Then he gets trapped in a time warp in space and ages to twenty five, and she is still only eighteen. We have gone from four years (with her a minor and him an adult) to seven years with her barely an adult.

This trend of FMCS always being exactly eighteen is weird too, its like they decide to make them the age that they can say they are adults even if they essentially are not especially in comparison to the looonng lives of their love interests.

 I really loved a series by KM Shea which had an age gap that somehow circumnavigated all of the power dynamics that usually come with it in a really wholesome lovely way. In that Jade is twenty six, she has an established career, she has an apartment, she has a very supportive family whom she could return to if she wanted. She is not the lonely vulnerable eighteen year old that so many vampire novels are populated with and so when Connor the vampire (who’s age is old but never quite stated and it’s a spoiler so I wont say) comes along they have a relationship first as friends and then lovers that doesn’t fall into the toxic almost fatherly but sexual relationship which I find so odd in many fantasy books.

We’re on non-human relationships now so lets consider some more!

Lightlark (I’ve only read the first one!) has two love interests both of whom are old. Much older than our eighteen year old heroine Ida (again eighteen! And I honestly am not even annoyed at the author at this point, it is so so common its an industry problem and societal more than a personal thing as the trope is so easy to fall into.) They are fae like elementals and live for a long time and it works with the lore and the worldbuilding. But I refuse to believe that it isn’t possible to a) age up Ida a little bit. B) pop a few more rulers in the timeline so that Oro and Grim are younger or c) do both!  I would love a heroine who is several centuries old (if you have any recs drop them in the comments!) but it is so so rare.

A series I love and haven’t finished, the Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas (I’m trying to pick out popular examples but its so frequent I could do more) features a thousands of years age gap between Caeleana and Rowan. Lets not start on the power dymanics of her relying on him to control her magic or that he treats her so badly at the start, but the age gap itself is huge. I believe she is nineteen at this point, possibly even eighteen or twenty but either way she is a long long way from several thousand.

The Trope of the older mysterious man is so so common that I cant even hate the books that they are in (I adore some of these with my whole obsessive bookish heart) but I really think that it needs to stop. The occasional old fae is fine, but it is just so common and none of them acknowledge the difficulties of this like that they are from different generations and often cultures, with different expectations.

I digress to go read but what are your thoughts on this incredibly popular trope that is rampant in so many fantasy books?

Happy Reading!

XOXO

Lottie

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Poison Study by Maria V Snyder

15+

I have so many thoughts about this one because it is such a difficult read to review. This is the third time I have read this book and it manages to surprise and horrify me even though I know what is going to happen.

I think I’m going to start with the romance, because this is the most difficult part to pin down, especially with no spoilers. We do have romance close to the end (I rated it Sweet) but I really struggled with the age gap, 19 and 33, and I think that might be why I cannot give it a full five stars. Fantasy so often has these HUGE age gaps and sometimes when it is within human lifespan parameters it is trickier for me to except than when the MMC is like five hundred plus years. If we ignore the age gap, and the power dynamics, I do really enjoy how the enemies-to-lovers trope is drawn out so they are properly enemies first.

The world is military fantasy based. The Commander has taken over from the old king, divided up the kingdom underneath Generals and everyone is assigned to a specific duty. I would have loved some more exploration of that, but the touches we did get showed the effects upon the people of the palace. It is really clear how Yelena sees the world especially after her very traumatic experiences, and the subsequent betrayals mean that we see through her a world that is grimly political and mostly emotional less.

Characters – 4/5 – I enjoy them a lot!

Romance – 3/5 – Sweet – I have already said something so I will let it be.

World – 4/5 – solid fantasy world

Plot – 4/5.- there are no twist around moments that make you gasp out loud because it is a slow reveal. Part of the beauty of the plot is that the protagonist almost knows what is going to happen and what she is going to find but just cant admit it to herself yet.

Romance Rating: Sweet

Violence Rating: Level 6

Content Warnings: SEVERE – rape, (past, vividly remembered and practically on page), physical abuse, child abuse, torture, sexual assault (from a different man, this is on page, she is clothed but causes PTSD from the last time)

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We Are The Beasts by Gigi Griffis

15+

Honestly this was great! I wasn’t expecting this at all, and I may say that before but this one was a read I don’t think I will ever forget.

Set in a medieval (or perhaps colonial times? It’s tricky to pin down exactly!) French village, the Beast is a unknown power that roams the hills and kills shepherdesses, growing a reputation as something supernatural. Our two main characters discover the victim of one of the beasts hunts and a survivor of a little girl hiding in the trees and from there they decide to use the beasts murders as a cover to get the girls of the village away from the abusive men. However as the king sends soldiers to hunt down the beast, the beast itself roams closer and everyone teeters on the verge of famine, it has become far more complicated than they could have ever imagined. But it is their only chance of getting out.

I genuinely am not sure how this one has not become a booktok obsession because it is dark and twisty and teeters on the edge of the supernatural – honestly this is going to be a best read of 2025 I know it!

Plot – 5/5 – perfection.

Characters – 10000/5 – so so so good, I honestly cannot describe how great these characters are. From the insolent soldiers to the scared girls all seeking a way out to the Beast itself roaming the woods hunting its prey they are just all so complex and intriguing.

Romance – NA – there is no romance, a hint of it perhaps between the main two girls but it might just be a very close friendship. Especially with how dark it is and how they are constantly in high stress tension ruled scenarios I cant tell.

World – 1000/5 – dark and historically inspired??? Sign me up, I loved it!

Romance Rating: NA

Violence Rating: Level 5

Content Warnings: Domestic violence (a lot, but not described explicitly on page), sexual violence (hinted at, and discussed in the past, one attempt by a priest is stopped), child death.

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June’s Recommendations

June the 24th is international fairy day and no I am not making that up that is something that actually does exist! In honour of that I am going to be giving my ultimate Fae read- and if you have any faerie ones that are no-spice/low spice then I would LOVE to have them!

A Court of Midnight and Deception by KM Shea

The second trilogy of the Magiford Paranormal Books (so you can read the first and get your vampire hit and then read this one! Spoilers are present for the previous trilogy, but only surrounding the main couple of the last series which is probably predictably going to happen so you can take a view on that!).

This has Fae. Tea drinking, etiquette obsessed, monarch-less but snobby about the one they are given, fae. With quirks and charming cultural details, it is set in an America that knows that paranormal exist but they have to present to be charming and less threatening than their faerie myths declare. They are none the less the fae of the myths, bound by tradition and powerplays within them but when the half-human Leila becomes their queen, the Night Court is at its most vulnerable.

If you like tropes here are some!

  • Marriage of convenience
  • Reluctant Monarch x Grumpy Assassin
  • Horsies but dangerous ones
  • Fae Power Games
  • No-nonsense heroine.

Content Details

These are what is generally called ‘clean’ fiction, no swearing and no sex (or allusions to it!). I would rate this Soft on my Romance Ratings, and Level 2 or 3 on the Violence Ratings. Genuinely no content warnings either! For a general age rating I would probably say 13 and up would enjoy it the most – it’s a Paranormal Romance, and I don’t think many people in middlegrade are looking for that, but I would have enjoyed it then and I do now so honestly this is sutiable for 12+!

If you want to know what kind of world you are going to be addicted too… then here is a timeline of the rest of the Magiford Books!

 Also a link to KM Shea’s website where you can learn more!

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Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton

Notorious Virtues was a fun trials led fantasy between two heroines from very different pasts. I enjoyed how Lottie and Honora didn’t fall into the trope of the one raised rich is evil and how Lottie wasn’t as innocent as she pretended to be to win the support of her relatives. With a love interest that is a journalist that hates the Holzafall family and a really interesting origin story of the monarchy/goverment this is a must read if you enjoy your fantasy with a side of trials! 

This feels like the Inheritance Games but set in a fantasy world with a rebellion! We have trials, we have a family warring over an inheritance and we also have touches of world building that go delightfully deep and mention the economic power that these families wield.

World – 4/5 – it feels like the quintessential rebellion fantasy world but a little bit more Victorian and I honestly cannot wait for where this goes, I think the way the few locations that are described are all so vivid is really promising!

Characters – 3/5 – I didn’t love love love any of the characters but I didn’t hate any of them either (as characters, morality aside). I think that this books strength is the trials and the world and the characters were for me just a way of exploring that.

Plot – 3.5/5 – trials for me are a very predictable plot because they are so popular in fantasy right now but I did still enjoy it.

Romance – 4/5 – not there much, but what was was cute.

 Violence Rating: Level 3 

Romance Rating: Sweet

Content Warnings: family killing each other, magical slavery (forcing certain members to obey or die by magic, determined by heritage not race).

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Voice of the Ocean by Kelsey Impicciche

ARC – coming out 22nd of April

Let me just say I loved that she made the prince a pirate! It changes the entire dynamic, making them at sea (a place where Celeste the little mermaid) is comfortable and experienced as well as adding extra to the tensions between the two kingdoms! I have read a lot of Little Mermaid retellings that don’t make sufficient changes from the original fairytale that the plot is still entertaining to follow but the reveal at the end (even though there were clues!) I was still surprised by.

I also really liked that Celeste was able to speak and just didn’t because she knew her accent would stand out.

World – 3.5/5 – I mentioned that it was at sea, we get to see a little bit of the palace as well as generally her on the ship and then on the land for a brief amount of time. There isn’t much word building, the focus is Celeste and her personal relationships.

Romance – 4/5 – It was predictable, after all one of the major points of the Little Mermaid is that she falls in love with the prince, but I still liked the journey to get there and Raiden himself was interesting and I would have liked more development of his morals and character.

Plot – 3.5/5 – there was a twist at the end, but the rest of the plot stayed smooth and predictable. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, one of the things of retellings is we know the plot but it’s the journey to get there!

Characters – 3.5/5 – Mauve the Cecaelia was actually my favourite despite her limited page time because she had the interesting position of agreeing with the siren properganda/beliefs but also being friends with someone who is muddying up the waters (sort-of-pun intended!).

Damsel Reader Recommendation: 13+, for lovers of fairytale retellings!

Violence Rating: Level 3

Romance Rating: Sweet

Content Warnings: she is stripped at one point, I was worried it would lean into SA but it balanced on the edge.

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The Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

16+

Wow!

While I don’t read Adult fantasy usually (especially because of the sexual content) I did enjoy this one and picked it up because I had checked it didn’t have a lot of open door scenes.

The complicated politics and morals of the main characters was really interesting especially as Kel (the sword catcher) refused to adknowledge that he was essentially a slave to die for the prince. This idea of a child being chosen from an orphanage and sent to essentially make friends with a prince so he can die for him is stunningly executed. Kel himself is so interesting because he almost sees himself as one of them, until later on he doesn’t even realise that people don’t see him as him, they see him as his persona of the princes cousin. He has been raised as a noble – but never as one of them. He exists in their society as a shadow of Conor, the prince, and even when he interacts with ‘their’ friends, they are Conor’s friends and it is always in defence or to aid Conor.

Conor himself who is the other end of this Sword Catcher relationship is so interesting because he is cruel and thoughtless and for a lot of the book drunk but his actions have such huge ramifications that he is completely unaware of. He has Kel’s complete loyalty because Kel loves him like a brother and hasn’t realised yet that the boy prince he knew has grown up to be honestly one of the most complex and hatable yet pitiable characters I have read for a while!

Lin is the other POV in this book and her perspective is so much different from Kels and Conor’s that we really get to see just how oblivious the Hill are to the politics and what is happening in the city. Lin’s goals are so clean cut compared to the other characters and whenever she enters a scene she changes it because Conor and Kel and the other nobles don’t know how to react to a woman who doesn’t care about their power plays and reacts to injustice as injustice not twisted protection.

I am so bowled over by the characters that I havent talked much about the world while is so eqistiately done or even the plot which was aborbing and had me reading for hours none stop but I need to move on to the star ratings so let me just say this! All the minor characters were fledged out and I really enjoyed some of them like Antonetta and Vivanne and loved to hate a few of the others! If an author can make you feel such strong things about side characters then the main characters’ arcs and morals and complexities are even more delicately done.

Romance – 3/5 – Swoony B – I’m not sure if you can call it romance, there is just a lot of sexual references and presence throughout which does give it this romance rating. The shortfall of romance ratings is that when there is sexual content out of a relationship or even the named cast it can be tricky to define so look at the content warnings!

Plot – 4.5/5 – I was captivated from page one, this is political fantasy but it doesn’t feel hard to read or understand. I would say that if you are looking to read an adult fantasy then this is probably a good place to start!

World – 4.5/5 – honestly stunning I loved it so much and I cant wait to return to it!

Characters – 5/5 – oh you know I gushed about them in my answer and honestly I cant deny that these are some of the best characters I have ever read. So I loved it and I need to read more of them!

Genre: Adult Fantasy, Political 

Damsel Reader Recommendation: 16+B but only if you are comfortable with the content warnings!  

Romance Rating: Swoony B

Violence Rating: Level 4

Content Warnings: there is a lot of prostitution and brothels present on page, (many of the main characters hire courtesans regularly and spend time in brothels), naked portraits of women are passed around at one point (minor detail, just says they are nude). The amount of courtasans on page made it definitely worth a Swoony B rating even if we get few romantic moments between the characters it is happening around them. There is also racism between different fantasy cultures. 

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Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lin

13+

I wasn’t expecting this but oh my goodness did I love it! We have this gorgeously vivid world full of little details and quirks that make it fantasy. It reads like a fairytale especially closer to the end – I read it was a beauty and the beast retelling but honestly it is so far away from the original and improved that I wouldn’t have made the connection otherwise! When I did realise it made for a happy discovery because then I could link all the little bits and pieces!

Tru as a heroine is so delightful to read because she bonds two of my favourite heroine attributes together: she is strong and has been strong in her own right for years and her ability is not ‘discovered’ by the romantic interest, it is something that she has already wielded for years on her own. She is a painter, forging early masters in dead artist’s style so that her and her family can survive on the little food and shelter that she can work for. Unlike a lot of heroines who are warriors she is a creative which was so lovely to read and definitely memorable!

The imagery and world of this book were honestly just exquisite especially for the first 30% or so when we were in Tru’s world. It felt so real and all the little details that had been added as we jumped into Tru’s ‘just on the slight side of illegal’ life style was honestly flawless.

I also love that Elizabeth Lin didn’t make Tru’s sisters unlikeable or vain or shallow like a lot of retellings and original versions do. It made it so much sweeter of a read for me that I wasn’t annoyed over that.

To the star ratings!

Romance – 4/5 – Soft Romance – This was such a lovely romance, I really loved the scenes they got together and the ending was just *chefs kiss*

Plot – 4/5 – While it was relatively predictable I still enjoyed it and as the focus was on th relationship and the resolution of the enemy I didn’t mind it!

Characters – 4/5 – honestly these characters were beautiful they were so distinct and yet tied together by various things that honestly I can remember them all – which I always like to be able to do by the end of a book! Some books characters just fade away instantly but these were really good and I enjoyed them!

World – 5/5 – gorgeous. Just gorgeous.

Age Recommendation: YA –  12+ – while I think that older readers would also enjoy this it is a romance that I would be happy to give to a 12 year old and it feels on the lower age end of YA.

Romance Rating: Soft

Violence Rating: Level 3

Content Warnings: None

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Fire by Kristen Cashore

15+

This reminded me what fantasy truly can and should be. I had a stream for the last few months of okay books that weren’t quite bad enough to put down but not overall worth remembering after I closed the last page so this really stood out and I am so glad I picked it up.

This is the second book in the Graceling Realm Series but you could also read it first as it has no spoilers and chronologically comes before Graceling. I would however recommend reading it second because not only does it give us a new world it also gives  a villain origin story.

Fire is such a different lead to Katsa but I don’t love her any less! As a ‘monster’ she has such beauty that people around her become entranced and often attack her or stalk her for her beauty. She can read minds and so she is constantly surrounded by a barrage of people who hate her for the beauty she possesses and yet love her because they are attracted to her.

As you can probably tell this book does have more sexual harassment than Graceling (check the content warnings!) and yet it never feels overpowering just an exploration of how even a girl who can see everyone’s intentions is often ensnared in their predatory desires.

The rest of the cast are honestly great in their own right. Most of them I love to hate like Nate and Archer (the later of whom the narrator Fire never holds fully accountable because they used to be lovers and she still views him very fondly but from a readers perspective he is absolutely abhorrent by the end). Others I love to love and I am definitely going to have to reread this one very soon because it is just so so so good.

And the world. That animals could manipulate humans with their minds? That the whole world revolves around monsters and humans yet Fire is somehow both? And above all Fire’s determination to use her powers for good after she saw what her father used them for.

Read this. Honestly one of the best series I have ever read.

Romance – 5/5 – Soft – not really heavily present in the story but I love what’s there.

World – 100000/5 – perfection. Literal perfection.

Characters – 100000/5 – EVERYTHING I WANT AND MORE. I am obsessed with these characters and I think I may continue to be until my dying day (Taylor reference!).

Plot – 5/5 – it isn’t a quest plot, a romance plot or a become powerful plot it’s a plot which incorporates war, politics, self discovery, betrayal and a terrifying magic that only you believe is happening.

Age Recommendation: 14+B/Upper YA/Adult Crossover

Romance Rating: Soft

Violence Rating: Level 4

Content Warnings: Rape (mentioned in the past to other characters), Sexual Assault (happens on page to the MC in various degrees of severity but she is able to extract herself before it goes very far) Teenaged Pregnancy, Animal Abuse (past)

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Ties of Starlight by Celeste Baxendell

13+

This was a quick fun read and I am glad I picked it up!

Honestly I admire the author so much for making her MMC relise in the first part of the book that he had been completely of the charts in his relationship with the FMC and he had made mistakes. The premise is a couple who are supposed to get married and perform ceremonies so that the magic of their eleven tribe is renewed for another period. However when the groom flees the morning of his wedding King Nyrunn decides to step in. WITHOUT TELLING HER. I wholeheartedly hated him at that moment but by the end I had relaxed a little in my hatred even through I still don’t like his actions.

The FMC was the really interesting point of this book – she had lived multiple lives and in all of these lives she had been chosen to perform the ceremony. She and the man who ran from the wedding had been constantly engaged and married over the years and he had repeatedly cheated or ignored her in their marriage. Obviously this treatment especially as she was murdered in her previous life as led to her being guarded and wary of anything that changes from the perfect ceremony which would allow her to end this cycle.

Romance – 3/5 – Soft Romance – I just cant get over his actions.

World – 3/5 – it is there in the background but we don’t get much details of it – but it also isn’t very relevant too. This is a fantasy romance so the focus is all on the ROMANCE not the fantasy world itself which is a background detail.

Characters – 3.5/5 – Nyrunn is a good character even if I don’t like him, the FMC was engaging enough to the plot and the supporting characters worked well however I didn’t have any characters that I loved but they did work for the plot.

Plot – 4/5 – intriguing plot, I liked the many lives thing and will probably look for it in more of my reads because it does add an extra level.

Age Recommendation: 13+, YA

Violence Rating: Level 3

Romance Rating: Soft

Content Warnings: cheating, murder.

Overall it was a 3 star read (which means good, i finished it easily and dont regret picking it up, i would recommend to specific people and maybe read the author again) and I think other people who want a more romance heavy book would enjoy it more than I did.

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